“Everything will be okay,” Jana said before descending the stairs. She stopped on the last step, checking first that she had an unobstructed view of the door, then continued over the planks. She peered out and stood there, listening.

The pier creaked loudly as she left the sea behind her. On the way up the cliffs, she stopped and turned back. She hoped that the falling snow would conceal her footsteps. She looked at the pier and the boathouse, out toward the horizon, and felt a hollow sensation creep up her spine, the icy feeling that everything was approaching its logical conclusion.

* * *

“Daddy?” Felix said with a worried expression.

Henrik Levin looked down at his son, pulled him into an embrace and held him for a long time without saying a word.

“Daddy, I can’t breathe.”

“Oh, sorry, little guy.”

Henrik let go. He looked at Vilma, who was sitting at a play table and building with multicolored blocks.

“Daddy?” Felix said again, a little more urgently.

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong with Mommy?”

He put his hand under Felix’s chin, making the boy meet his eyes.

“Mommy’s tummy hurts a little. But it’s not dangerous.”

“My tummy hurts, too,” Vilma said, rubbing her eye with her hand.

“I know what we should do for that.”

“What?”

“Get ice cream.”

“Yum!”

“Can we have whatever flavor we want?” Felix asked, his eyes wide.

“Henrik?”

The voice came from Emma’s mother, Ingrid Carlsson, who at that moment came running in the door.

“Grandma!” Felix shouted, greeting her with a hug.

“What happened? Is Emma okay?” Ingrid asked.

“I’m sorry for calling and worrying you.”

“But of course you should call me! I didn’t understand at first what you were talking about. How is she?”

“She’s okay, just pain in her abdomen,” Henrik said.

“And the baby? Did something happen to the baby?”

“I don’t know yet. She was just admitted. But I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

His voice faltered again.

He met his mother-in-law’s gaze. He nodded instead of saying any more, knowing that it would be more convincing that way.

“Are you two going to come home with me then?” Ingrid said, taking Felix by the hand and reaching her other hand out for Vilma. The little girl refused to take it, instead hugging Henrik’s leg even harder.

“I want to stay with Daddy.”

“Oh, honey, you can’t. I have to take care of Mommy,” he said. “Go with Grandma now.”

“But what about ice cream?”

“I promised ice cream,” Henrik said apologetically to Ingrid.

“And we get to pick whatever flavor we want,” Felix added.

“Let’s do that,” Ingrid said. “Ice cream and a little hot chocolate before we read a bedtime story.”

“Can we get one for Mommy, too? Daddy said that if your tummy hurts, you should have ice cream.”